Monday, June 30, 2014

San Antonio Writing Project ISI Summer 2014

This is the last week of our SAWP Institute. I'm already feeling sad that our time together is coming to a close. Even though I know that we will see each other and we'll be working together in the future, there is nothing like our intense month of writing together and working together. Every week has been different and exciting depending on who visited us and who presented. We write journals each morning. Here's one of mine.
My former student and keynote presenter at the Water Conference, Paula Lemperis Kelderman stayed with me. She also presented to our SAWP 2014 Summer Institute. I had time with Paula, and she had so many treasures with her. She had kept the school pictures from the two years I was her teacher. As I looked over the pictures I was amazed at how many names I still remembered. She told me that Steve McWilliams who had been in my class was now the Principal of Barrington, High School. We were all so young in the pictures. She still had the goodbye letter I had written to my students, and she read it aloud to me. As I listened to it, I marveled that I had actually written it.
Then she asked me if I remembered Arlene Baumgart. Of course I did. She started out as my permanent sub whenever I was out giving presentations. Then when a job opening became available, I helped hire her as my teaching partner. She gave me a gift from Arlene that had a copyright of 1985. The book was still wrapped in the clear plastic. It was Loon Magic, because I loved the call of the loons at Whitefish Lake, where we took the kids every summer. Around that time the cabin at the lake was sold, and our family never returned until now. Until this week Until the fifth of July
When we asked the kids if they’d like to go back to the lake, everyone wanted to go. So we booked a townhouse and a cabin for the week starting July 5th. This modest resort is just a few houses down from our old house, and we’re excited to show it to our grandchildren and our kid’s spouses. But all of this, both Paula and the cabin on Whitefish Lake take me back to my young self. One I remember but it’s almost as if it happened to a different person. I’m certainly a different person than I was then. What a gift it has been to rediscover old memories and a younger me.

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Profile

I am a Professor Emeritus at The University of Texas at San Antonio. I have been honored with the Illinois Master Teaching Award, the National-Louis University Outstanding Faculty Award (2001), and the University of Texas at San Antonio, College of Education Awards for Teaching Excellence for Tenured Faculty in 2007-2008, and the 2009 Presidential Award for Community Service. My work has been acknowledged by the 2009 National Council of Teachers of English Halle Award, the 2015 Outstanding Literacy Alumni Award from Northern Illinois University and the 2012 Headline Award for Excellence in Education. I am currently President-Elect for the The Whole Language Umbrella, an International Literacy Organization.
I am also the Director Emeritus of the San Antonio Writing Project. I've also published two books, Who's Invited to Share?: Using Literacy to Teach for Equity and Social Justice and Confronting Bullying: Literacy as a Tool for Character Education, both published by Heinemann. I have also published many scholarly articles.